Are your contractors really employees and do you owe them overtime pay?

As Andrew Bowman expressed during his speech at Rally last week, we face significant reputational risk if we do not address the fact that people are using conservation easement donations to make substantial profits on land held for only a short period of time.
 

Every year, the IRS publishes the Priority Guidance Plan, a lengthy list outlining upcoming guidance and regulations.

Just as we strive to keep the planet clean, we in land conservation strive to keep our reputation clean.

The Land Trust Alliance sees the new IRS interpretation of the federal conservation gift law enacted in 1980 as deeply flawed.

Among its many roles, the Land Trust Alliance works with land trusts to address threats to our community. It is my belief we are facing a serious and urgent threat we all need to work to thwart: promoters using hyper-inflated conservation donations as a tool for selling tax deductions to wealthy investors.

Major changes affecting donations of conservation easements to land trusts are proposed in President Barack Obama’s newest budget, released last week. While these are merely proposals at this time, they’re proposals that could have a significant effect on land conservation.

Our marathon to make the conservation easement tax incentive permanent is won! And three years’ re-authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund — including an impressive $450 million for this fiscal year — is secured.